Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Bolton in 1976.[5] During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop,[6] and pop punk.[7] They achieved commercial success with singles that fuse pop craftsmanship with rapid-fire punk energy; these singles were later collected on Singles Going Steady, an acclaimed compilation album music journalist and critic Ned Raggett described as a "punk masterpiece".[8]
For the TV panel show, see Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Buzzcocks
Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
- 1976–1981
- 1989–present
Steve Diggle
Chris Remington
Danny Farrant
Mani Perazzoli
Pete Shelley
Howard Devoto
Garth Smith
Mick Singleton
John Maher
Barry Adamson
Steve Garvey
Mike Joyce
Tony Barber
Phil Barker
Devoto left the band in 1977, after which Pete Shelley became the principal singer-songwriter.[9] After releasing three albums, the band broke up in 1981 following a dispute with their record label, and reunited in 1989 and released six more albums before Shelley's death in 2018.[10] The band has remained active, being led by their original bassist Steve Diggle, who assumed guitarist-and-singer duties, and this line-up released the 2022 album Sonics in the Soul.[11]
Career[edit]
Early years[edit]
Howard Trafford, a student at Bolton Institute of Technology who had been involved in electronic music, placed a notice in the college looking for musicians to play The Velvet Underground's song "Sister Ray".[12][13] Fellow student Peter McNeish, who had played in a rock band called Jets of Air, responded to the notice.[12][14]
By late 1975, Trafford and McNeish had recruited a drummer and formed an early version of what would become Buzzcocks. The band formed in February 1976; McNeish assumed the stage name Pete Shelley and Trafford named himself Howard Devoto.[15]
Devoto and Shelley chose the name "Buzzcocks" after reading the headline "It's the Buzz, Cock!" in a review of the television series Rock Follies in Time Out magazine.[16] The "buzz" is the excitement of playing on stage and "cock" is northern English slang meaning "friend". They thought the name captured the excitement of the nascent punk scene and had humorous sexual connotations following Pete Shelley's time working in a Bolton adult shop.[17]
Buzzcocks performed live for the first time on 1 April 1976 at their college. Garth Davies played bass guitar and Mick Singleton, who also played in local band Black Cat Bone, played drums.[18]
After reading an NME review of Sex Pistols' first performance, in February 1976, Shelley and Devoto travelled to High Wycombe together to see Sex Pistols.[14] Shelley and Devoto were impressed by the show and arranged for Sex Pistols to perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in June 1976. Buzzcocks intended to play at this concert but the other musicians dropped out, and Shelley and Devoto were unable to recruit replacements in time for the gig. Once they had recruited bass guitarist Steve Diggle and drummer John Maher, Buzzcocks made their debut opening for Sex Pistols' second Manchester concert on 20 July 1976 at the same venue.[14] A brief clip of Devoto-era Buzzcocks performing the Troggs' "I Can't Control Myself" appears in the documentary Punk: Attitude, which was directed by Don Letts. Buzzcocks made their London debut at The Screen on the Green in support of the Clash and Sex Pistols, while the next month they played the two-day 100 Club Punk Festival, which was organised by Malcolm McLaren, and would later replace the Damned on the Anarchy in the UK Tour.[14][19]
In between these live performances, Buzzcocks began developing their own material and recorded an 11-track demo at Stockport Studios which was eventually released in 1991.[14] By the end of the year, Buzzcocks had recorded and released a four-track Extended Play (EP) called Spiral Scratch, which they released on their own label New Hormones, making them one of the first punk groups to establish an independent record label.[7] The EP was produced by Martin Hannett at Indigo Sound Studios; the music was roughly recorded, insistently repetitive and energetic.[20] The EP was re-released in September 1979 and reached number 31 in the charts.[14]
In March 1977, Devoto announced his departure from the band, expressing his dissatisfaction at the direction punk was taking in his statement: "I don't like movements. What was once unhealthily fresh is now a clean old hat".[21] He returned to college for a year then formed a band called Magazine. Pete Shelley took on the vocal duties for Buzzcocks and moved away from social commentary to adolescent themes.[7] Steve Diggle switched from bass to guitar, and Garth Davies—also known as Garth Smith—rejoined Buzzcocks to play bass. The band joined The Clash as support on their White Riot tour.[14]
Mainstream success[edit]
The new line-up signed with United Artists Records (UA) at Electric Circus, Manchester, on 16 August 1977, the day Elvis Presley died. The first UA Buzzcocks single "Orgasm Addict" was released in October 1977;[14] It was the start of a collaboration with producer Martin Rushent that would last until the end of the decade.[7] The band embarked on a headlining tour, during which Smith was found to be unreliable and was replaced with Steve Garvey.[14]
Buzzcocks' next single "What Do I Get?", which was released in February 1978, reached number 37 in the UK chart.[22] It was followed the next month by their debut album Another Music in a Different Kitchen, which reached number 15 in the chart.[14] In May, the band embarked on the Entertaining Friends tour while a second single "I Don't Mind" reached number 55 in the singles chart. In July, a third single "Love You More" reached number 34.[14] The band spent mid 1978 recording their second album Love Bites, which reached number 13 in the chart. After a 26-date UK tour, Buzzcocks gained success as their single "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" reached number 12 in the UK chart in October 1978.[14] In December, the band released the single "Promises", which reached number 20 in the UK chart.[14] The single's B-side "Lipstick" shared the same ascending progression of notes in its chorus as Magazine's first single "Shot By Both Sides", which was released earlier that year.[7]
In 1979, Buzzcocks prepared for their first European tour while working on new material. In March, the band released the single "Everybody's Happy Nowadays", which reached number 29 in the chart. The tour that followed culminated at Hammersmith Odeon; the concert was recorded and released in 1992 as Entertaining Friends.[14] in mid 1979, the band completed the recording of their third album while a second single "Harmony in my Head" reached number 32 in August. Prior to their first venture to the US, I.R.S. Records released the band's singles compilation Singles Going Steady there.[23]
The band's third album A Different Kind of Tension was released the end of September 1979 and reached number 26 in the chart while the band completed a second UK tour.[14] The album's single "You Say You Don't Love Me" failed to chart.[24][25] A period of inactivity lasted until September 1980 when the double-A side "Why She's A Girl From The Chainstore/Are Everything" was released. It reached number 61 and was the band's last charting single.[14] Two further singles "Strange Thing" and "Running Free" failed to chart while the band embarked on a truncated UK tour.[14][26]
Break-up and reunion[edit]
After recording demos for a fourth album, Buzzcocks disbanded in 1981; Shelley took up a solo career, and Diggle and Maher formed Flag of Convenience and released several singles between 1982 and 1989.[14] Garvey formed Motivation and joined Blue Orchids, moving to New York shortly afterwards to continue with Motivation. Maher had joined Wah! by the time Buzzcocks broke up; as of 2012, he owned John Maher Racing, a vintage Volkswagen performance-tuning workshop on the Isle of Harris, Scotland.[27]
Between 1988 and 1989, EMI re-released much of Buzzcocks' back catalogue on Compact Disc (CD), as well as a Peel Sessions album and a box set called Product.[14] This prompted the band to reform with the original line-up for a world tour. Maher was briefly replaced with The Smiths drummer Mike Joyce. In 1991, Buzzcocks released new material on the four-track EP Alive Tonight.[14] In the US, interest in the band increased after I.R.S. Records released the compilation album Operator's Manual: Buzzcocks Best.[23] It was followed two years later by the fourth studio album Trade Test Transmissions.[28]
In 1992, bassist Tony Barber and drummer Phil Barker joined Buzzcocks; this line-up toured with Nirvana in 1994, one of Nirvana's last tours.[29] In 1996, Buzzcocks released the live album French, which was recorded in Paris the previous year.[7] Also in 1996, the band's fifth studio album All Set was released. Buzcocks continued to tour and in September 1999, they released the album Modern.[30]
In 2000, Mute Records released the 1976 demos that were recorded while Devoto was in the band as Time's Up, which had long been available as a bootleg. This album includes alternative takes of all the tracks from the EP Spiral Scratch and early versions of tracks that later appeared on Another Music in a Different Kitchen.[31]
Current
Former
Timeline
